Adopted
by Skovko
Summary: Gamma has always felt like an outsider in her family. She has never been good enough for her mother. Now that her father is in a hospice, her mother and brother have invited her to dinner to tell her the truth. She's adopted. From now on it's family only so she's not allowed to see her father anymore. Luckily her husband is there and he doesn't give a damn about what they think.
1. Family only

Gamma wiped her mouth with her napkin. She felt Buddy's hand on her thigh, gently patting her to let her know everything was alright. He felt it. Her nervousness and anxiety. It was always awkward around her mother and brother Christian, but it was worse now that her father was in a hospice fading away.

"How's dad?" Gamma asked.  
"We actually invited you tonight to talk about that," her mother eyed Buddy. "That was why I said it was a family dinner."

Gamma squeezed Buddy's hand under the table. For some reason her mother and brother never liked him. His only crime was that he was together with her. She wasn't high on the list of likeable people either. She didn't know why. She tried all her childhood to be just as good as Christian but he was always the favorite.

Their father never played favorites. He loved them equally and for some reason that pissed off her mother. When she was 16, she overheard her parents fight over this. Her mother saying to her father that Christian was their only real child and therefore should be the favorite.

"Buddy is family. My family. I married him, remember?" Gamma said annoyed.  
"It's okay," Buddy said.  
"No, it's not okay. You're my family. You belong at a family dinner," Gamma said.  
"You're not family," Christian said. "None of you are."

Gamma stared at Christian. She wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"Christian!" Their mother said.  
"What, mom? You were gonna tell her tonight, weren't you?" Christian asked.  
"Yes, but..." Their mother started.  
"Tell me what?" Gamma asked.  
"You're adopted," Christian answered.

Gamma's mouth opened but no words came out. It suddenly made sense now. All her life she had been different. She had always wondered why she had black hair and dark brown eyes. Why there was an age gap of 12 years between her and Christian. Why she felt like she didn't belong. Why their mother played favorites with Christian. Why she never felt good enough.

"Well, now that's out of the bag," their mother smiled smugly. "It's best for dad if you stay away."

Gamma snapped her eyes away from Christian and over to the woman she had called mom all her life.

"What?" Gamma whispered.  
"He's dying. I'm surprised he hasn't passed yet, quite frankly. He doesn't need the pressure of having you in his life. From now on it's family only," her mother said.  
"You ain't getting anything," Christian gave Gamma a hard look. "That money's mine!"  
"And mine," their mother piped in.  
"I don't want the money," Gamma said.  
"Yeah, right!" Christian laughed.

Gamma stood up so fast that the chair tumbled over.

"Here comes the drama queen again," Christian smirked.  
"I don't care about the money!" Gamma yelled. "I care about him! I care about dad! I love him!"  
"He's not your dad," Christian said.  
"Fuck you!" Gamma screamed.  
"Get out of my house!" Their mother screamed back.

Hands grabbed Gamma and pulled her with them. Her husband Buddy was right there, getting her out of the house when her feet wouldn't move. She didn't know how but he got her back into her shoes and out in the car somehow. Her mind went blank and she didn't remember anything from the trip home. Her eyes didn't focus until he stopped the car and she saw their house through her tears.

"They... They..." She whispered.  
"I know," he said.  
"They can't do that, can they?" She asked.  
"I don't know," he answered.  
"He's my dad," she cried.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her in an awkward position inside the car. She kept crying down on his shoulder, wetting his jacket with her tears.

"He's my dad," she repeated.  
"I know that," he said. "He'll always be your dad no matter what they say. He loves you."


	2. Don't push me away

Buddy looked at his wife Gamma. After breaking down in the car two nights ago, she had become cold and distant. If he went close to her, she stepped away. If he asked her something, he only got yes or no or very short answers in return. She didn't start any conversations. It was like she wasn't his wife anymore but someone who didn't want to know of him.

"Do you wanna watch tv? They're showing that Wes Craven movie you love. What is it called again? Shocker, right? It's your favorite," he said.

She made a hmm sound and shrugged. He sighed and looked at the remote. He didn't reach for it. Instead he went in fast before she could move away, and put his arms around her. She tried pulling back but he held on tighter.

"Please," he said lowly.  
"Let me go!" She hissed.

He let go and looked at her. He felt the tears run down his cheeks but he didn't care. She needed to see he was hurting too. That she was hurting him.

"Don't push me away," he said.  
"I'm not," she said.  
"You are," he said. "I get that you're hurting, but please darling, don't push me away. Don't punish me for what they said and did the other night."

She looked down and fiddled with the hem of her sweater. She looked up again and reached for his hand. It almost felt strange touching her hand even though it had only been two days.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to."  
"I know you didn't," he said.  
"I don't know how to deal with all of this. It hurts so much. I just wanna shut down my emotions, and I guess I did. I shut down everything. I shut down you too," she said.  
"It's okay. I'm not mad," he said.  
"I think I'd like that hug now," she said.

He wrapped his arms around her again and pulled her close. For a few seconds they sat in silence while holding on to each other.

"What do I do?" She asked.  
"Fuck them!" He said determined. "He's your dad. They can't forbid you to go see him, so you're gonna go fucking see him."  
"What if they're there? I don't wanna cause a scene at the hospice," she said.  
"How about tomorrow? Don't they play tennis on Wednesdays?" He asked.

She leaned back, looked at him and started smiling.

"Buddy! You're a fucking genius!" She laughed.  
"I wouldn't call me that but go on," he smirked.

She grabbed his face and planted a kiss on his lips.

"I fucking love you!" She said.  
"I love you too," he said. "So tomorrow?"  
"Tomorrow," she agreed. "They play from 10 to 12 and then go out for lunch. We got plenty of time."


	3. Fulfill your dreams

Gamma felt nervous as she stepped into the hospice. Buddy was right there next to her, holding on to her hand.

"I'm here," he whispered and kissed her cheek. "You got this."  
"Hi, Gamma and Buddy," a voice sounded.

They looked towards the voice and saw one of the nurses walk towards them. A woman named Dana. Gamma always liked Dana. It was clear the nurse loved her job and the patients, and the patients loved her too.

"How are you holding up?" Dana asked.  
"Not too good to be honest," Gamma asked.

Dana squeezed Gamma's arm and smiled.

"He's gonna be so happy to see you. He's been waiting for you," Dana said.  
"He has?" Gamma asked.  
"I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm surprised he's still breathing. Your mother and brother were here a few days ago. I don't know what they they said to him but it seemed to light a fire under him. He's been saying that he refuses to die until he's said goodbye to you," Dana said.

Gamma walked fast over to the door to her father's room. She stepped inside and heard the door close behind her. She turned her head to see Buddy. He nodded at her and sat down on a chair next to the door. She walked over to the bed, sat down on the chair next to it and grabbed her father's hand.

"Dad?" She asked.

He opened his eyes and smiled at her. He looked so small and tired but he was still smiling.

"Gamma? It's so good to see you, my girl," he said.  
"I'm happy to be here," she said.  
"I know you know," he said. "No need to play pretend. I know they told you the truth. I want you to know that I always saw you as my own."  
"I never felt like you didn't," she said.

He tried squeezing her hand but there wasn't much strength behind it.

"They said they were gonna cut you off and not allow you to visit. I knew you were too smart to listen to them," he said.  
"Buddy helped me," she said.  
"Is he here?" He asked. "I want him to hear what I have to say."  
"I'm here," Buddy said.

Buddy stood up, carried the chair over to the other side of the bed and sat down again. He reached for her father's other hand and patted it.

"You're a good man, Buddy. I can see how much you love my daughter," her father said.  
"She's my one and only," Buddy said.

A little smile spread on her father's face again. They both smiled back at him.

"My family warned me against marrying her. They saw right through her. They saw the gold digger she really was. I didn't catch on until she was pregnant with Christian. She swore to use him against me if I ever left her. So I stayed. But I didn't love her. Instead I gave all my love to him, but she turned him against me at a young age," he said.

They didn't speak. They both held on to his hands while he slowly told his story.

"When he was 12, your story hit the news. A baby found at a train station in a garbage can. Thrown away like trash. One look at you on my television, and I knew you weren't trash. You were gold. So I told your mother we were adopting or divorcing, and that she wouldn't get anymore of my money if she didn't let me have you," he said.  
"Did they ever find my parents?" She asked.  
"No. I'm sorry. They looked but no one ever came forward with any leads," he answered.  
"It doesn't matter. I had you. You're my dad. My real dad," she said.

He gave her another smile. She was gonna miss those smiles once he passed.

"She's not getting anything," he said.  
"Who? Mom? What isn't she getting?" She asked.  
"My money. She thinks her and Christian will split it. She's just waiting for me to die. She doesn't know I changed the will years ago before I got sick. I got witnesses ready to testify to that and a great team of lawyers just waiting for your call if she tries challenging the will," he said.  
"Dad," she whispered.  
"It's all yours," he said.  
"But I don't want your money," she said.  
"I know," he chuckled. "That's why you're getting them. You're not gonna spend them on anything silly. You're gonna use them wisely. Open up that animal shelter you always dreamed about but that you were too stubborn to ask me to help pay for. That's my last wish. Fulfill your dreams with Buddy."

She leaned over him and hugged him.

"I love you, dad," she said.  
"And I love you," he said. "And you too, Buddy."  
"Me too," Buddy said.

Gamma leaned back out and looked at her father. He chuckled at the look on her face.

"Typical you. Despite them disowning you, you still worry about them. Don't worry. She keeps the house, and Christian has those fancy cars I bought him. They'll have to sell their items and move into something smaller but it's about time they get a life lesson. Hopefully they took notes by watching you grow up and make your own path in life," he said. "I'm proud of you, my girl. So damn proud."


	4. Stay grounded

That same Wednesday night after visiting Gamma's father at the hospital, Gamma and Buddy woke up to her phone ringing. Seeing it was 2 AM, they both knew what the call would be about before she answered.

"Hello?" Gamma answered the phone.  
"Gamma, it's Dana," Dana spoke on the other end.

Gamma broke down crying before Dana could even say the words. Buddy took the phone from Gamma and finished the call. He wrapped his arms around his wife and held her while she cried.

"He waited for me so he could say goodbye," she said.  
"I know," he said. "Dana said that his final words were that he was happy that you were there."  
"Thank you for not giving up on me," she said.  
"Never," he chuckled sadly. "You're stuck with me forever."

The next call came around 10.15 AM when her mother and brother had called the lawyer. Gamma was surprised how fast they had tried to get their hands on her father's fortune. They hadn't even been to the hospice to see his body first. They had waited for the lawyer handling the will to open at 10 AM and then called him, and they had learned that there wasn't any money left for them.

"You bitch!" Her mother screamed. "If you think you get a penny, you're sorely mistaken!"  
"Anything you have to say to me, you can say to my lawyer," Gamma said.

She hung up and looked at Buddy. He pulled her in for another hug. She called the lawyer and told him about her mother's phone call. He asked her to come in that afternoon and meet the team.

They went to the hospice to see her father's body. Her mother and brother didn't show up but she hadn't expected that. After thanking Dana and everyone else for everything they had done for her father, they went to see the lawyer. To no surprise they found her mother and brother there, fuming like crazy.

"Bastard child!" Christian hissed.  
"Spew your poison all you want," Gamma said.  
"I hate you," their mother said coolly. "Your father was an idiot for taking you in."  
"I take it I already won?" Gamma grinned.

The lawyer Aleister Black she had spoken with on the phone walked over to them. There was a calmness and toughness about him that gave off the vibe that no one could mess with him and his team.

"Gamma?" Aleister shook Gamma's hand. "I'm Aleister. We spoke on the phone. Your mother and brother decided to stop by unannounced."  
"I'm not her fucking brother!" Christian growled.  
"We told them all about how a trial would go and how much it would end up costing them. They came to their senses and realized that it would be better not to challenge the will," Aleister said.

Gamma tried the best to hide the smile on her face but she didn't succeed. Her mother sneered at her.

"Since you think you're so damn smart, you pay for the funeral," her mother said.  
"With pleasure," Gamma said. "At least I'll know he'll have one. You wouldn't wanna spend money on that. You're nothing but a gold digger."  
"Bitch!" Her mother snarled.  
"Thank you. You can leave now," Aleister said.

Gamma's mother and brother stormed out of there. Buddy took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Okay, now that the circus clowns are gone, should we sit down and talk?" Aleister asked.  
"Yes," Gamma answered.  
"Coffee? Tea? Water?" Aleister asked.  
"Coffee. Black for Buddy but I use creamer," Gamma answered.  
"Coming right up," Aleister said.

To their surprise Aleister went to get the coffee himself. He smiled as he came back with a tray and placed it on the table.

"I'm a firm believer in staying grounded no matter how much you make," Aleister chuckled.  
"I like your way of thinking. Dad was like that too," Gamma said.  
"I know. He and I had many conversations. He was very proud of you. He always said you were his guiding star," Aleister said.

Aleister took out the will and smiled at her.

"There's a lot of money waiting for you," Aleister said. "Any plans?"  
"I wanna open an animal shelter," Gamma said.  
"Why am I not surprised?" Aleister chuckled.


End file.
